Guest Column: Dear Winnebago County Board Chairman and Board members

Thursday, Oct. 27, you will cast your votes regarding William Charles’ attempt to obtain a special-use permit to operate an asphalt plant that will affect a lot of residents and business owners. Some of you are supposed to represent us, but we have not seen evidence of that.

As an “elected” official, you have a civic duty to represent your constituents, not your political party or your political contributors. As an elected official, it is also your duty to read everything that has been presented before the Zoning Board of Appeals, not just what the ZBA deemed important and summarized on the opposition’s behalf.

You have all been given packets, and within that packet, “ALL” the presentations and evidence should be in your possession but we know it has not been given to you. Numerous board members have stated that they have had more than “800” pages of evidence to read. Well, if you had, in fact, been given “everything,” then those “800” pages would be almost doubled. Have none of you even questioned this? You have all been made aware of it, but yet you have chosen to ignore this.

Is the vote you’re going to cast on Thursday evening your decision, or have you been told what you should do for the good of the “county”? Have you been promised political help? Have you been promised things down the road?

When all of us were young, we couldn’t wait to get away from our parents and relished the day when no one could tell us what to do. You are now grownups, but yet you are still allowing certain individuals to tell you what to do. When do you step up to the plate and become the politician you proclaimed you wanted to be?